Topic: Obama budget ends return-to-moon plan

[Clive]

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is essentially grounding efforts to return astronauts to the moon and instead is sending NASA in new directions with roughly $6 billion more, according to officials familiar with the plans.

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[Rik]

It seems a shame to abandon the moon plans.

[Simon]

But what was the point of going to the moon again? 

[Rik]

Good question. Just showing we can do more than we have been doing for the past 40 years?

[Simon]

What, so we put another flag up? 

[Clive]

The Chinese and Indians will be there before us Simon.  Still, it will give them time to open up takeaways!

[Simon]

[sam]

I feel its good and bad. I'd like to see mankind go back to the Moon but I almost don't see the point. We need something to drive us though... personally I'd rather see the money in larger astrophysics programmes and robotic exploration... also fixing up the ISS so we can do space exploration the proper way..